Busy Builders & A Hug from Hashem!

This week we had some busy builders & architects at Gan...

Which Holiday is coming?

 Working on their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination as they hammer nails...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Great Big Hug from Hashem!

 

On The Holiday of Sukkot, we remember the miracle Hashem did for the Jewish people as they travelled in the desert.

In our attempt to give the children a better understanding of how the Sukkah came about... we did a puppet show in our circle time, role-playing the Jewish people who were traveling in the desert. We spoke about the fact that in the desert we need extra protection, and Hasham protected the Jewish people in their travels by surrounding them with clouds. The clouds protected them from animals, bad weather and any other things that might frighten a person traveling.

Solomon suggested we jump up and get some clouds! So we all copied!

On Sukkot we remember how Hashem protected the Jewish people with clouds by building a Sukkah, and eating in it for 7 days! Since we couldnt reach the clouds, we decided to build our own!

 Little Architects figuring out which way the blocks should be placed.

 Are my walls positioned well to  hold up the "Schach (branches for the roof)

A "Sense" of the Holidays!

We have been using all of our senses to experience the different symbols and traditions of the Jewish holidays this month.

We held a pomegranate and opened it up to reveal the seeds. Contrasted it to an apple. Felt the differences, tasted the difference....

After tasting the seeds we exclaimed words that came to mind when we ate them like, "tasty... crunchy... sour! "

 

 We SMELLED the sweet scent

 of the 4 kinds of plants that make up the mitzvah of "Lulav & Esrog"

 Experiencing the real Lulav & Esrog- Bringing them together & waving them in all directions!

We enjoyed the warm, cozy feeling of hugging a plush Torah! (as we prepare for Simchat Torah)

 

A Whale of a time!

What a thrill it was for the children to guess WHAT could be in the huge box that arrived at school last week!

Rochel thought is might be a real car that drives!

Yitzy suggested it was a box, inside a box!

 

 The children requested we cut a hole on one side...so they could take a peek!

 

 It was a brand new table! 

The children didn't want us to take the box out of the room, since they were having so much fun playing in it!

so, after working together...

mixing colors of paint....

 

 

the box turned into a giant WHALE!

We decided the peeking hole that we initially cut out, would be the perfect spot for the Whales eye!

 On Yom Kippur, It is our tradition to retell the story of Jonah and the whale.

 Jonah made a mistake, but Hashem (G-d) gave him a second chance. On Yom Kippur we read this story to remind us that it is a day to reflect on any mistakes or bad choices we may have done, and remember that Hashem always gives us a second chance.
(For more on how to make YomKippur meaningful for you & your preschooler- Click Here)

We went outside for this circle time! The change of scenery, ability to splash lots of water as the whale went into the water table made it a perfect setting for the children to learn this fascinating story.

Later on...the children enjoyed playing with fish, whales and boats in our water table!

Apples for Rosh Hashanah

After taking a good look at so many apples...discovering the different colors, shapes textures... we thought it would be a great opportunity to show the children how apple-sauce can be made! 

Carefully the children cut the apples...

...placed them in the blender...

and watched in awe as the apples turned into SAUCE! 

What a yummy afternoon snack!

 

 

 

The New Rug at Gan!

We Believe…
 Children are competent...have good ideas...and want to do the right thing. And so we…Give them responsibilities and choices....along with offering them real life opportunities to build their skills in all areas of development.

What an exciting event it was, when our new rug arrived! 

The children at Gan were completely part of the process!